Pauline Ferrand-Prévot Withdraws from Women's Tour de France

Defending champion Pauline Ferrand-Prévot pulled out of the Women's Tour de France ahead of Saturday's eighth and penultimate stage due to feeling unwell. The French rider's Visma-Lease a Bike team announced her withdrawal via X, stating that the decision followed consultations with the team's medical staff. "Unfortunately, Pauline was not feeling well this morning," the team reported. "It has been decided that she will not start today. We wish Pauline a speedy recovery."

Ferrand-Prévot, an Olympic champion in mountain biking at the 2024 Paris Olympics, won the Women's Tour de France during her debut last year. As of her withdrawal, she was in 14th place overall, gearing up for Stage 8, which featured a flat 172-kilometre (107-mile) route from Sisteron in southeast France to Nice, designed for sprinters.

Polish rider Katarzyna Niewiadoma-Phinney was leading the overall standings after capturing the yellow jersey from Marlen Reusser with a remarkable solo climb victory up Mont Ventoux the previous day.